A Meta spokesperson has been identified by Russian state authorities as a wanted individual. The charges against them are unspecified, but the employee in question has been on the wanted list since February. The spokesperson, Andy Stone, is wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code but the charges remain unknown.
Stone, who serves as the communications director for Meta, has been working at the social media company since 2014. According to Mediazona, a Russian media outlet not affiliated with the state, Stone was arrested in absentia by a Russian court in mid-November. However, details of his case have not been publicly released.
The charges against Stone add to Russia’s crackdown on the social media giant. Meta products like Facebook and Instagram were popular among Russian users but are now banned in Russia, with Meta itself being listed as a “terrorist” and “extremist” organization since October 2022. Despite this, WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, continues to operate in the country.
In March 2022, Russia opened a case against Meta, alleging that the company promoted “terrorist activity” after changing its hate speech rules for Ukrainian and Polish users. This led to Stone being mentioned by the Russian ministry in a press release after he announced Meta’s decision to allow users to post about the “death of Russian invaders.” Stone maintained that such calls would be treated as political speech rather than actual threats.
Meta has not yet responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.
I have over 10 years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry and I have been on the list of the top authors on LinkedIn for the past 5 years. I have a wealth of knowledge to share with my readers, and my goal is to help them navigate the ever-changing world of cryptocurrencies.
